Chapter 502: Once More Upon the Path of the Mysterious Whale

Inside the blood vessels,

Drop by drop, new blood chases and collides!

Li Yuan seemed to hear a 'ding-ding-dang-dang' sound in his ears, like gold and jade striking each other!

This newly born blood was pure and heavy; with every drop generated, his vital energy grew slightly stronger!

After completing the first step of transforming a form into blood, the remaining blood no longer required him to replicate each one individually; instead, using the first drop as the foundation, it gradually assimilated the rest until the entire body was transformed!

This process became faster and smoother the further it progressed, continuing until the next form entered the blood!

Whoosh!

New blood chased each other while old blood boiled and surged, like a flock of sheep driven by a fierce tiger; the flow grew faster and more chaotic, and had he not drained half his blood, his vital energy would have reversed!

Even so, the disturbance remained enormous!

Li Yuan observed his own body internally, yet his mind could also perceive it externally!

Under his indifferent gaze, his skin turned increasingly red, resembling a boiled shrimp, while his tightly closed pores bulged outward,

looking like iron fava beans stuck to his body, utterly terrifying!

"Draining all the blood carries great danger, but failing to drain it thoroughly is equally dangerous."

Moments later, Li Yuan groaned softly and opened his eyes; the tightly constricted pores over his entire body relaxed, emitting wisps of hot steam that shot out rather than merely diffusing.

It was like the violent eruption of steam from a boiling kettle.

In an instant, the entire room filled with bloody qi, and the soaring temperature forced the small mice in the wall holes to squeak in panic!

Splash!

Li Yuan raised his hand to open the doors and windows; scorching air rushed out, causing the temperature throughout the courtyard to surge abruptly, while falling snowflakes and accumulated snow on the ground melted into water at a visible speed,

then transformed into strands of Eight Directions True Qi that vanished into heaven and earth!

"No wonder blood replacement often takes a long time; rushing it easily leads to disaster!"

Li Yuan adjusted his breathing!

With each exhalation and inhalation, his body underwent a transformation from fullness to emptiness, and then back to fullness!

His intestines and stomach churned violently, extracting the medicinal power of the Dragon-Tiger Great Elixir; as this power spread, his vital energy boiled, his bone marrow generated new blood, and the new blood collided with the old!

This constituted a relatively complete cycle.

"Repeat this ninety-nine more times, and the blood replacement will be complete!"

Li Yuan stood up to stretch his muscles and bones; the nourishing power of the Dragon-Tiger Great Elixir minimized the damage caused by blood replacement, and after a brief adjustment, he felt completely refreshed!

In just two hours, he had already completed one blood replacement!

Without the supplementary power of the Dragon-Tiger Great Elixir, this single cycle of draining and regenerating blood would require nearly a month of recuperation!

One month per cycle, one hundred cycles equal one hundred months; this is the minimum time required for a martial artist to replace their blood without spiritual elixirs, a rule that applies even to those with unparalleled talent!

This is purely a transformation of resources and physique, having nothing to do with innate talent!

"Hoo."

Li Yuan closed his eyes to feel it!

The collision between new and old blood continued, spreading with the bloodstream deep into his tendons, bones, skin, membranes, and internal organs, reaching even the most minute places!

In his perception, he felt like a piece of refined iron being hammered, becoming denser and stronger!

The various external hardening techniques he had learned also underwent significant changes during this process!

The power of external hardening martial arts is fundamentally based on one's physique; since blood replacement transforms the physique, it naturally marks the beginning of rapid advancement and the true unleashing of power for these arts!

"Only when an external hardening practitioner reaches the stage of blood replacement can they be considered to have entered the hall!"

Li Yuan extended his hand, and instantly numerous blade scars appeared on his skin; this was the Ten Thousand Blades Spiritual Dragon Body, an supreme external hardening art that grew stronger alongside his blood replacement!

When activated, he felt as though layers of armor, large and small, were draped beneath his skin; these were the various external hardening techniques he had cultivated simultaneously!

After blood replacement, an external hardening practitioner's resistance to strikes increases dramatically; in his case, the dozens of external hardening arts he practiced acted like dozens of layers of internal armor!

"Completing the blood replacement will take about a hundred days; estimating similarly, transforming one form into blood should also take roughly this long. Afterward, I can begin working on breaking through to enter the Dao!"

Li Yuan felt immensely relieved!

Given his current talent, the hurdle of blood replacement was merely a matter of gradual effort for him; only the barrier of entering the Dao could slightly hinder him, and even that was only slightly!

As for transforming a hundred or a thousand forms into blood, that only needed to be completed before breaking through the Heavenly Gang; he went to the courtyard to wash and change clothes, waiting for the

smell in the room to dissipate before returning inside; he sat cross-legged on the bed, waiting until his vital energy and spirit recovered to their peak before closing his eyes to focus!

For the next few days, Li Yuan remained behind closed doors, daily inhaling and exhaling internal qi, contemplating martial arts, tempering his blood replacement, and nourishing his spirit and physique!

He maintained an attitude of not stepping out until his blood replacement was fully complete.

Li Yue visited several times, but Li Yuan pretended not to know; immersed in blood replacement and martial practice, he had no leisure time for family gossip!

Eventually, perhaps understanding his intentions, Li Yue left only a letter before departing the Eight Directions Secret Realm!

Li Yuan did read the letter, which contained nothing more than an apology, explaining that he had offended someone years ago and was forced to leave; he entrusted Qin Xiong with taking care of matters and requested his master to select Gao Liu County for his retirement!

Now that his martial arts had reached a preliminary success, he intended to seek out his second brother!

Li Yuan did not stop him; he knew his second brother had been worried for a long time, yet he said nothing, keeping his doors tightly shut and venturing out only for daily meals!

In a flash, half a month had passed!

"Hoo."

In the courtyard, Li Yuan slowly concluded his stance, and the violently surging vital energy within his body calmed down!

"I still need to drain my blood eighty-five more times!"

Rubbing his temples, he reflected that having drained his blood fifteen times in succession, he felt somewhat exhausted despite the support of the Dragon-Tiger Great Elixir; blood replacement was not just about replenishment!

"I need to rest for a day!"

」

Li Yuan slightly relaxed his mind, returned to his room to lie down, and with a shift of thought, entered the Black Whale Secret Realm!

With all forms gathered, the Soldier Raising Scripture had been initiated; he was only one weapon short of fully mastering the Splitting Sea Dark Whale Hammer. Had the Dark Whale Path not been so dangerous, he would have come long ago!

Now, having undergone fifteen blood exchanges and achieving some success, it was time to set about attempting it!

Swapping out the Splitting Sea Dark Whale Hammer, Li Yuan grabbed the hammer and headed straight for the great hall!

In the vast, empty great hall, the stone statue opened its eyes, and dark light blazed!

"How much longer can this wisp of incense fire last?"

Li Yuan muttered to himself, without hesitation, and took out a large handful of incense fire below the fifth rank!

A sudden hum rang out. The wisp of incense fire atop the stone statue flared violently, devouring a large quantity of the low-rank incense fire, and its light grew contained within!

The importance of this stone statue went without saying; the incense fire upon its head—

If it were to be extinguished, one would surely become lost within You Jing!

Hum!

Under the stone statue's guidance, Li Yuan entered the Dark Whale Path once more!

You Jing was deep and dark; straining one's eyes to the utmost, without the guidance of incense fire one could not see even a foot ahead—extremely disorienting!

"If one gets lost here, unless one carries an enormous amount of incense fire, death is certain!"

Li Yuan was deeply wary of You Jing. Such a place, with no light from heaven, black, heavy, and deathly still, was naturally fearsome. After stepping onto the Dark Whale Path, he did not rush to travel!

Instead, he reached for his waist, and with a hum, a Mirage Dragon Sash was grasped in his hand!

Only a divine weapon fused as one with its master can enter and exit You Jing!

"Here."

The little female dragon was very alert and instantly noticed the changes around her. After a brief survey, she recoiled in shock: "You Jing?"

"You actually entered You Jing?"

The little female dragon's spirit trembled, as if greatly frightened: "Light the fire, quickly light the fire, be careful of the Eerie Beasts."

The Mirage Infant was nearly scared to death; she could no longer maintain the poise befitting a descendant of the Mirage Dragon King's bloodline, and urged him on in a shrill voice!

What kind of place is You Jing?

A terrifying place where even gods may fall!

Such a native boy actually daring to barge in—he simply didn't know what death meant.

A flash of light rose. Li Yuan pinched a wisp of second-rank incense fire, and within three feet everything instantly brightened.

"Eerie Beasts—how does one kill them?"

Li Yuan walked slowly along the Dark Whale Path, staying vigilant while also asking questions.

This was one of the reasons he had brought the little female dragon in!

"You want to kill Eerie Beasts? You? With what?"

The little female dragon was extremely tense: "You—let me out of You Jing first, then I'll—then I'll tell you!"

A boy who hadn't even entered the Dao, daring to walk through You Jing and even hunt Eerie Beasts!

The Mirage Infant simply didn't know what to say. Through Li Yuan's blood, she could sense that this boy probably hadn't even exchanged his blood yet!

"What? Without entering the Dao, one cannot kill Eerie Beasts?

"

Li Yuan's feet did not stop; he walked and asked as he went!

"You…"

Seeing him walk deeper and deeper, the little female dragon cursed furiously in her heart. This bastard—does he want to drag her down with him when he dies?

But in her shock and fury, she truly did not dare provoke him, and could only reply in a muffled voice:

"Eerie Beasts are transformed from the spirit-forms of Divine Realm masters. The lowest—the lowest would not be below entering the Dao. You haven't even exchanged your blood—how could you kill them?"

"Eerie Beasts are not necessarily all transformed from the spirit-forms of Divine Realm masters, are they?"

Li Yuan recalled the second station of the Dark Whale Path, where the Eerie Beasts above and below the ancient tower numbered in the hundreds or thousands. If they were all Ying Ying Xuanpeng's spirit-forms, wouldn't that be absurd?

"At the very least, they won't be below entering the Dao."

The little female dragon tried her utmost to persuade him to go back: "Lost in You Jing, even if a great power intervened, they couldn't save you. How—how much 'Primordial Fire' do you have?"

The little female dragon tried her best to persuade him to go back: "Lost in the You Jing, even if a great power intervenes, they can't save you. You, how many 'Origin Fire' do you have?"

Li Yuan's incense fire had never gone out. Second-rank incense fire could only burn for a little over a minute in You Jing, but he had plenty in hand, and he didn't mind this bit of expenditure!

"As the saying goes, You Jing cannot be walked without Unity, cannot be dwelt in without godhood. You—you…"

The little female dragon was shocked and furious. As she shook her head and looked around, she suddenly froze, noticing a gaze projected from behind her—it was precisely this gaze guiding Li Yuan's path!

The little female dragon was shocked and angry in her heart. As she shook her head and looked around, she suddenly froze, seeing a gaze projected from behind her—it was precisely this gaze guiding Li Yuan as he walked!

"The Dark Whale Path!"

Li Yuan never let slip any chance to gather information: "The Splitting Sea Dark Whale Gate—have you ever heard of it?"

"Dark Whale? A major sect from your place?"

The little female dragon was somewhat shocked. A closed-off land isolated from the outside by the Eight Directions Temple—yet someone here could open a path within You Jing?

What tremendous price must have been paid?

"You don't know anything?

"

Li Yuan was somewhat speechless. What "king's blood descendant"—she knew less than he did!

"How dare you mock me.

"

The little female dragon flew into a rage, furiously retorting!

The little mother dragon flew into a towering rage, furiously retorting!

Li Yuan, however, gave a snort and pinched out the incense in his hand!